West Bengal Panchayat polls: EC, Mamata government at loggerheads

Kolkata: The Election Commission and the West Bengal government are at loggerheads over the dates of the coming Panchayat elections in the state. The Calcutta High Court will hear the Election Commission's petition to quash the state government's notification. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants elections in two phases as opposed to three.

The state Election Commission on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the government's decision to notify dates for the Panchayat elections. This came after Mamata hardened her stand and issued poll dates on April 26 and April 30.

The opposition is up in arms. The BJP has moved court and the Left is asking the Governor to intervene. "It's a premeditated conspiracy to delay polls. Subroto Mukherjee was asked to raise technical confusion and Mukul Roy was asked to saving the image of the party in the public domain," CPI(M) leader Biman Bose said.

There is a looming uncertainty over when the Panchayat elections will now be held. The opposition says Mamata doesn't want elections in rural bodies where the Left still dominates. Political observers also believe that the uncertainty over the Lok Sabha elections could also be a factor.